The tea fields are green all year, yet with the cherry blossom, the new tea, the shade covers, the autumn bancha and the frosted rows, they change from month to month. Here is what you can see when, with sources.
From mid-month, golden rice against deep-green hillside tea. With autumn bancha due in October the rice comes in early, and the fields grow busy again.
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10 January brings Toka Ebisu at Wazuka Tenmangu Shrine. On winter mornings the frosted tea rows glint in the sun.
Plum blossom at Wazuka Tenmangu Shrine, then from late February the local hanana (rapeseed blossom). The tea fields start getting ready for the new tea.
Hanana and plum are in flower. Until spring arrives, the rows trimmed in autumn keep their crisp, sculpted lines.
The cherry blossom moves from Ishitera to Nagai to Iwaibashi. In late April picking begins in Ishitera, the ‘early field’, and the hills turn to wild cherry and fresh leaves.
The new tea at its peak — in FY2025 the first flush was almost exactly half of the town's crude tea. Some fields lie under black shade covers.
Second-flush shoots grow, and shading and harvesting go on in the fields. Hydrangeas and irises bloom, and the wind-chime festival begins at Shojuin Temple.
7 July is ‘Gion-san’ at Yasaka Shrine. Towards the end of the month the shade covers begin to disappear and the fields turn all green.
Uncovered green fields under blue sky. On the 24th, Jizo-bon at the Koyasu Jizo in Erihara; from about the 20th, the heart-shaped shadow at Shojuin.
From mid-month, golden rice against deep-green hillside tea. With autumn bancha due in October the rice comes in early, and the fields grow busy again.
Autumn bancha and white tea flowers. The second Saturday and Sunday bring the autumn festival at Wazuka Tenmangu Shrine, and from mid-month the rows are trimmed.
Sunday 8 November 2026 is the Chagenkyo Matsuri. Maples and ginkgo colour at Shohoji Temple, and persimmons ripen beside the tea fields.
The tea bushes go into winter still green. Low sun casts deep shadows across the trimmed rows, and on New Year's Eve local people ring the old bell at Tenmangu Shrine.
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Timing shifts with the year, the weather and the place. Tap a word to jump to its entry. Shaved ice (summer only) is not in the table because its months are not fixed.
10 January brings Toka Ebisu at Wazuka Tenmangu Shrine. On winter mornings the frosted tea rows glint in the sun.
Festivals & events
On 10 January the Toka Ebisu rite is held in the grounds of Wazuka Tenmangu Shrine. A large ring wrapped in red and white cloth is set up, and the grounds are said to be lively with free zenzai, a lucky draw and stalls.
The zenzai, lucky draw and stalls come from a record photographed in 2016.
Related page: Wazuka Tenmangu Shrine
Sources: Wazuka Chagenkyo Guides (1)
Festivals & events
A sacred rope hung across the road to keep evil out of the district; in Wazuka only Shirasu still holds this rite. A rope about 10 m long is woven at Bishamonji and, after a goma fire rite, hung across the road.
A district rite; the sources do not say whether visitors may watch. The dating comes from records photographed in 2014–2015.
Related page: Shirasu & Erihara Tea Fields
Sources: Wazuka Chagenkyo Guides (2), Wazuka Town History Compilation Office (3)
Festivals & events
Around 14 January each district burns its New Year decorations. The Wazuka Town History Compilation Office notes that in many districts this happens on much the same day and at much the same time.
It has become smaller, and some areas no longer hold it. These are district events; the sources do not say whether visitors may watch.
Sources: Wazuka Town History Compilation Office (4)
Festivals & events
At Setsubun, the turning of the year, prayers are offered to each person's guiding star — to escape misfortune in a bad year and to make a good year better still.
From 1,000 yen per person. Apply by fax or phone (+81 774-76-2256); the talisman is sent by post. On the same page the heading says ‘3 February’ and the text ‘the night of 2 February’. It is not a rite to attend in person.
Sources: Kaijusenji Temple (5)
Also this month: Matcha Zenzai (Wazuka no Sato), Trimmed rows, Sea of mist, Frost and snow, Tea Point stamp rally, Chagenkyou Wazuka Line, Buses on weekend timetable, Shojuin closed, Shojuin winter hours
Plum blossom at Wazuka Tenmangu Shrine, then from late February the local hanana (rapeseed blossom). The tea fields start getting ready for the new tea.
Flowers & nature
The flower calendar in the “Four Seasons of Wazuka” booklet lists the plum blossom at Wazuka Tenmangu Shrine among February's flowers.
Flowering varies from year to year. About 3 minutes by car from Wazuka no Sato.
Related page: Wazuka Tenmangu Shrine
Sources: Revitalisation Centre, “Four Seasons of Wazuka” (6)
Flowers & nature
The “Four Seasons of Wazuka” booklet says that from late February into March the local speciality hanana (rapeseed blossom) and plum trees flower, while the tea fields start getting ready for the new tea.
The booklet does not say where they bloom.
Sources: Revitalisation Centre, “Four Seasons of Wazuka” (6)
Festivals & events
A one-day Hokkori Circle event: a talk on Wazuka tea in the fields in the morning, then after lunch a graded session of chakabuki, the game of identifying teas by taste.
In 2026: 3,000 yen (junior high school age and over), 1,000 yen (elementary pupils), 20 places. The date and venue change every year.
Also this month: Matcha Zenzai (Wazuka no Sato), Trimmed rows, Sea of mist, Frost and snow, Tea Point stamp rally, Kaijusenji star prayers, Chagenkyou Wazuka Line, Shojuin winter hours
Hanana and plum are in flower. Until spring arrives, the rows trimmed in autumn keep their crisp, sculpted lines.
Tea
The fans on poles above the tea fields are frost fans. The town's Ryokusen Course map explains that on clear early mornings from March to May the ground in the fields can drop below freezing and the new shoots can freeze. The prefecture's tea research institute advises running them from about 5°C (2023).
In the prefecture's FY2025 data, frost fans (open fields) protect 280.2ha of Wazuka's tea. Whether they run depends on how cold the night gets.
Sources: Wazuka Town (9), Kyoto Prefectural Tea Research Institute (10), Kyoto Prefecture (11)
Festivals & events
A tea event at which the town's tea farmers served tea and offered chakabuki tasting, brewing lessons by Japanese tea instructors and guided walks to fields such as Ishitera (2026). Walk participants were told they could enter fields that are normally off-limits.
Organised by the Wazuka Community Development Council. It has been confirmed only in 2025 and 2026; nothing has been announced for 2027 or later.
Sources: Iitoko Wazuka (12 · 14), Wazuka Tourist Information Office (13)
Getting around & opening
The FY2026 ‘Guchamo’ green slow-mobility tour also runs on weekends and holidays in March 2027 (see the April–November entry).
Book with the Wazuka Tourist Information Office (+81 774-78-0300).
Sources: Wazuka Town (15)
Getting around & opening
A forest park with barbecue areas, open only at weekends and on holidays. By the river there is a stream 10–20 cm deep where children can paddle (Ocha no Kyoto). On weekdays in the summer holidays (21 July–31 August) it opens only when booked.
9:00–17:00. Admission 500 yen for adults, 200 yen for children; parking 500 yen per car. Enquiries and bookings: Yubune district office, +81 774-78-2001. Camping is prohibited by town ordinance (unless approved in advance by the mayor).
Also this month: Trimmed rows, Hanana and plum, Frost and snow, Chagenkyou Wazuka Line, Shojuin winter hours
The cherry blossom moves from Ishitera to Nagai to Iwaibashi. In late April picking begins in Ishitera, the ‘early field’, and the hills turn to wild cherry and fresh leaves.
Tea
In spring Wazuka warms up from west to east. The Ishitera area in the west is called hayaba, the ‘early field’, and tea picking starts there as early as late April.
It shifts with each year's weather. The tea fields are private land: please stay out of them and don't go up close to photograph people at work (Wazuka Town).
Related page: About Wazuka tea
Sources: Uji Tea Hometown Council (19), Ocha no Kyoto (20), Wazuka Town (21)
Tea
Pick tea and take the leaves home. Wazukaya gives the season as about mid-April to October, and the Kyoto Prefecture Tourism Federation as mid-April to around the end of October; both say it can change with the growth of the leaves and the weather.
From 3,630 yen per person (tax incl.), about 30–40 minutes (Wazukaya). The Tourism Federation lists it as by reservation only, starting around 10:00 or 13:00, and not held on some days.
Related page: About Wazuka tea
Sources: Wazukaya (22), Kyoto Prefecture Tourism Federation (23)
Tea
Once the new shoots are out, black covers go over the fields that grow tencha, the leaf for matcha, and other shaded teas. In the low fields around the town centre they start to show from around mid-April; they come off after one to three weeks, and the shoots are picked straight away (“Four Seasons of Wazuka”).
Kyoto Wazuka-so gives ‘late April to mid-May’. Timing varies by place and year, and not every field is covered.
Sources: Revitalisation Centre, “Four Seasons of Wazuka” (6), Kyoto Wazuka-so (24), Kyoto Prefectural Tea Council (25)
Flowers & nature
The cherry trees along the Wazuka River at Iwaibashi Bridge all come into colour at once, making a relaxed walk (Kyoto Prefecture Tourism Federation). Ocha no Kyoto calls this avenue the place for cherry-blossom viewing in Wazuka.
About 22 minutes on foot or 3 minutes by car from Wazuka no Sato. The surrounding tea fields are private land (Iitoko Wazuka).
Photo: Cherry trees along the Iwaibashi bank, Naka
Sources: Kyoto Prefecture Tourism Federation (26), Ocha no Kyoto (27), Iitoko Wazuka (28)
Flowers & nature
The “Four Seasons of Wazuka” booklet describes early April as the time when slightly late cherry blossom sets off the green tea fields, and says the cherries usually flower in turn: the avenue at Ishitera, the Seseragi Path at Nagai, then the avenue at Iwaibashi.
For reference, Kyoto City's Somei-Yoshino cherries reach full bloom on 4 April on average, and between 24 March and 5 April in 2021–2026 (Japan Meteorological Agency). These are not Wazuka observations.
Sources: Revitalisation Centre, “Four Seasons of Wazuka” (6), Japan Meteorological Agency (29)
Flowers & nature
The avenue of cherries running from Ishitera Bridge includes big old trees nearly a metre round the trunk (town newsletter, 2015). You can enjoy the blossom and the tea fields that have come through the winter at the same time (Iitoko Wazuka), and a 2024 Kyoto Prefecture article notes that the cherries reach full bloom before tea picking starts, set against the deep green of the fields.
That article gives the best viewing as early to mid-April (as of March 2024; it depends on the weather). The tea fields are private land.
Related page: Ishitera Tea Fields · Photo: Cherry blossom over the Ishitera tea fields
Sources: Wazuka Town newsletter (2015) (30), Iitoko Wazuka (31), Kyoto Prefecture (32)
Flowers & nature
Cherry trees along a path beside the Wazuka River. The town's Ryokusen Course map describes spring as the season when the cherries on the course are at their best.
No source gives the best viewing for the path itself; the Iwaibashi cherries on the same river are listed by the Kyoto Prefecture Tourism Federation as usually early to mid-April. About 18 minutes on foot from Wazuka no Sato to the Miroku Magaibutsu at the end of the path.
Related page: Seseragi Path
Sources: Wazuka Town walking map (33), Revitalisation Centre, “Four Seasons of Wazuka” (6), Wazuka Town (34)
Flowers & nature
The flower calendar in the booklet lists April's weeping cherries in the order ‘Wazuka Sports Park → Saiganji, Yubune’, and the booklet recommends a stop at Ikujigaoka Park for its weeping cherry.
About 2 minutes on foot from Wazuka no Sato.
Related page: Ikujigaoka Park · Photo: The weeping cherry beside Terasu Wazuka
Sources: Revitalisation Centre, “Four Seasons of Wazuka” (6)
Flowers & nature
The town newsletter (2015) names the weeping cherry in the grounds of Saiganji in Yubune as the ‘leading example’ of Wazuka's spring cherry spots. There is also said to be an account linking it with the famous weeping cherry of Maruyama Park in Kyoto.
The sources do not say whether visitors may enter the grounds.
Photo: The weeping cherry of Saiganji, Yubune
Sources: Wazuka Town newsletter (2015) (30), Revitalisation Centre, “Four Seasons of Wazuka” (6)
Flowers & nature
The “Four Seasons of Wazuka” booklet says that in late April the pink of wild cherry glows among the fresh new leaves, and the hills around the basin seem to laugh.
Sources: Revitalisation Centre, “Four Seasons of Wazuka” (6)
Festivals & events
‘Wazuka's hidden charm is how dark the night sky is.’ The local Wazuka Stargazing Society holds viewing evenings at Wazuka Elementary School, with the naked eye, telescopes and binoculars. No booking and free — come and go as you like during the session.
Cancelled in rain or cloud (announced on the Iitoko Wazuka site by 17:00 that day). Children must come with a parent or guardian. Use the school's car park and toilets. Dress warmly — it's at night. The dates are set by the society each year.
Sources: Iitoko Wazuka (35 · 36), Wazuka Stargazing Society (37), Chagenkyo Wazuka Brand Council (38)
Festivals & events
Many districts in Wazuka hold their spring festivals on the first Sunday of April. Somada celebrates its temple and two shrines on the same day, offering as many as 1,000 red-and-white buns, which are afterwards shared among worshippers and households.
From a record photographed in 2015. A district event; the sources do not say whether visitors may watch.
Sources: Wazuka Chagenkyo Guides (39)
Festivals & events
Festivals at which people in the tea trade give thanks to Nagatani Soen, the father of sencha, enshrined here as Chaso Myojin. There are said to be a spring festival in April and an autumn one in October each year.
The exact days have not been confirmed. Only a private source (the Nagatani Soen tea shop) mentions the autumn festival.
Sources: Kyoto Prefecture Tourism Federation (40), Nagatani Soen tea shop (41)
Festivals & events
After a demonstration by an instructor you hand-pick ‘one bud, two leaves’ and take the leaves home. In 2026 participants were then served that year's new tea and a local sweet.
In 2026 there were two sessions a day for 20 people each; adults 1,650 yen, children 1,100 yen; cancelled in rain. Dates and prices are announced each year (Iitoko Wazuka).
Related page: About Wazuka tea
Getting around & opening
A guided ride with the driver from the Wazuka Tourist Information Office to the Japan Heritage tea landscape of Ishitera (about 70 minutes, four runs a day).
Book by phone (Wazuka Tourist Information Office, +81 774-78-0300); same-day rides if seats are free. Adults (junior high and over) 1,000 yen, children 500 yen, 6 and under free; 300/150 yen for Nara Kotsu or Kyoto Keihan bus users. Up to four people per run. Runs may be cancelled without notice, e.g. after natural disasters.
Sources: Wazuka Town (15)
Getting around & opening
An Uji-cha Bus you can ride to Shojuin-guchi runs on the holiday timetable from 4 April to 6 December 2026 (Shojuin). From the Shojuin-guchi stop it is 15 minutes on foot (Ujitawara Town).
Not confirmed with the bus company.
Sources: Shojuin Temple (44), Ujitawara Town tourism site (45)
Also this month: Frost fans, Yubune Forest Park, Shojuin closed
The new tea at its peak — in FY2025 the first flush was almost exactly half of the town's crude tea. Some fields lie under black shade covers.
Tea
According to Wazuka Town, May is new-tea season every year and the busiest time for tea farmers. In the prefecture's FY2025 figures, the first flush made up 442,403kg of the town's 884,889kg of crude tea — almost exactly half.
In May, small trucks loaded with leaf are often on the roads. Please don't park on the roadside, so farm vehicles can get through (Wazuka Town, Revitalisation Centre).
Related page: About Wazuka tea · Photo: New tea shoots at Koshigoe Pass
Sources: Wazuka Town (21), Revitalisation Centre, “Four Seasons of Wazuka” (6), Kyoto Prefecture (11)
Tea
The 1915 Gazetteer of Kyoto Prefecture records that tea-making in Yamashiro began in early May for the first flush and from late June for the second. It says the time when hired tea workers began was popularly called kagoyaburi and the busiest period nakayama, and it describes the Wazuka area of Soraku District as well known for sencha.
These are the prefecture-wide terms and dates of the time, not today's.
Sources: Gazetteer of Kyoto Prefecture (1915) (46)
Tea
Pick the tender ‘one bud, two leaves’ by hand and take them home. It is one of the Centre's tea-culture programmes, which as a rule are for groups of 10 or more. After picking you can add the hand-rolling option (90 minutes): your leaves are steamed, rolled and dried on a hotplate.
Booking required (at least one week ahead). Tea-culture programmes from 1,650 yen per person. Reception +81 774-78-3396 (8:30–17:00). Guidance is basically in Japanese. The Chagenkyo private short tour for individuals (see ‘All year’) takes a break in July–August.
Related page: About Wazuka tea
Sources: Revitalisation Centre (47)
Flowers & nature
The booklet's flower calendar lists wild cherry, wild azalea, wisteria, fringed iris, Western rhododendron and iris among May's flowers.
It does not say where they bloom.
Sources: Revitalisation Centre, “Four Seasons of Wazuka” (6)
Festivals & events
A new-tea picking event in Uji on hachijuhachiya, the 88th day after the start of spring. Places must be applied for in advance; in 2026 it was held on Saturday 2 May.
This is outside Wazuka. Hachijuhachiya is counted from the start of spring (risshun), so it falls on 1 or 2 May depending on the year (1 May in 2025, 2 May in 2026). In 2026 applications were taken from 30 March to 15 April.
Sources: Kyoto Prefectural Tea Council (48), Yamashiro Regional Promotion Bureau (49)
Festivals & events
At the World Masters Games 2027 Kansai, which open on 14 May 2027, the cycling (mountain bike) venue is Yubune MTB LAND in Yubune Forest Park, Wazuka.
The organising committee says venues and schedules may change.
Also this month: Tea picking (Wazukaya), Frost fans, Black shade covers, Wild cherry, new leaves, Stargazing, Golden Week tea picking, Guchamo tour (weekends), Yubune Forest Park, Uji-cha Bus (Shojuin-guchi)
Second-flush shoots grow, and shading and harvesting go on in the fields. Hydrangeas and irises bloom, and the wind-chime festival begins at Shojuin Temple.
Tea
The last of the first flush is picked, the rows are trimmed again, and the second-flush shoots grow, are shaded and are harvested — a season when you can see the tea work going on. The second flush is the growth that appears 30–40 days after the first picking (Kyoto Prefectural Tea Council). Usually the covers start to disappear towards the end of July.
In the prefecture's FY2025 figures, 161,183kg of the town's 185,212kg of second-flush tea was tencha.
Sources: Revitalisation Centre, “Four Seasons of Wazuka” (6), Kyoto Prefectural Tea Council (52), Kyoto Wazuka-so (24), Kyoto Prefecture (11)
Flowers & nature
The booklet's flower calendar lists bellflowers, irises and hydrangeas for June, and lotus, sunflowers and sasa lilies for July.
It does not say where they bloom.
Sources: Revitalisation Centre, “Four Seasons of Wazuka” (6)
Flowers & nature
The Kizugawa City Tourism Association's flower calendar lists Gansenji Temple and the area around the Kuni-kyo Palace Site for hydrangeas in June and July.
About 11 minutes by car from Wazuka no Sato. It is an open-air site with no shade.
Sources: Kizugawa City Tourism Association (53)
Flowers & nature
Kizugawa City describes Gansenji as a temple where hydrangeas planted throughout the grounds bloom beautifully. The flower calendar gives June–July for hydrangeas.
Sources: Kizugawa City (54), Kizugawa City Tourism Association (53)
Flowers & nature
Ujitawara Town's tourism site says that every June and July many people come from inside and outside the town to see its fireflies.
The same site asks visitors to stay off private land, keep their voices down, not park on the road, not catch the fireflies, not shine torches or flash at them, and to watch out for pit vipers by the river. It does not name specific spots.
Sources: Ujitawara Town tourism site (55)
Festivals & events
Through the summer more than 2,000 wind chimes fill the grounds (the temple calls itself ‘the wind-chime temple’). The ‘flower wind-chime path’ from the approach to the main hall is decorated with handmade flowers; according to a 2024 report, they changed from hydrangeas until early July to sunflowers through August and cosmos until 30 September.
Normal admission 600 yen with a sweet (Ujitawara Town); a 2024 report gave 800 yen with a sweet during the festival. Open 9:00–16:30. Closed on 17 August (Kyoto Prefecture Tourism Federation). Sources describe the period differently, so check Shojuin's official site for the latest.
Sources: Shojuin Temple (44 · 56), Ujitawara Town tourism site (45), Rakutai Shimpo (2024) (57), Kyoto Prefecture Tourism Federation (58)
Getting around & opening
Kyoto Keihan Bus's seasonal service from the Uji side over Mt. Jubu to Wazuka. In summer–autumn 2026 it runs only on Saturdays and holidays, with a change at Ujitawara Bus Center (Ichu-mae).
Uji Station to Ujitawara Bus Center 480 yen; Ujitawara Bus Center to Chagenkyou Wazuka 300 yen. In 2026 there was no service on 4–5 July and 13–14 August. Dates, suspensions and times are announced each year in the official leaflet.
Related page: Access & info
Also this month: Tea picking (Wazukaya), Tea picking (groups), Stargazing, Guchamo tour (weekends), Yubune Forest Park, Uji-cha Bus (Shojuin-guchi)
7 July is ‘Gion-san’ at Yasaka Shrine. Towards the end of the month the shade covers begin to disappear and the fields turn all green.
Festivals & events
Every 7 July the annual festival is held at Yasaka Shrine in Naka, which enshrines the great cedar. While many festivals have moved to Sundays or holidays, this one keeps its date. On this day, it is said, people make and eat hanamochi, rice cakes topped with coloured grains of rice.
After the festival, sweets are handed out to the children who come (Wazuka Chagenkyo Guides). Please don't park on the road. 7 July 2027 is a Wednesday.
Sources: Kyoto Prefecture (61), Wazuka Chagenkyo Guides (62), Wazuka Town History Compilation Office (4), Iitoko Wazuka (63)
Festivals & events
Rites held at each district's waterfall, the source of its water. Dates vary: the last Sunday of July in Sono and Minami, 28 July at Higashidani in Shirasu, and a day near 28 August at Mukaiyama in Shirasu. At Oi Falls in Sono, the rite is said to have begun in 1773 with prayers against an epidemic.
The Wazuka Town History Compilation Office notes that they are shrinking year by year and have stopped in some areas (district dates from records of 2014–2015). District events; the sources do not say whether visitors may watch.
Sources: Wazuka Town History Compilation Office (4), Wazuka Chagenkyo Guides (64 · 65 · 66 · 67)
Festivals & events
A car rally that forms a round of JAF regional championships. In 2026 the first evening brought a ceremonial start and a small fireworks show at Wazuka Chaya Yamajin, and on the second day spectators could watch the rally cars from a special area at the same place.
Watching was free in 2026 (official site). Dates and venues change from year to year, and roads near the course may be closed.
Also this month: Tea picking (Wazukaya), Second flush, Hydrangea, sasa lily, Hydrangeas, Kuni-kyo, Gansenji hydrangeas, Fireflies (Ujitawara), Stargazing, Shojuin wind-chime festival, Guchamo tour (weekends), Chagenkyou Wazuka Line, Yubune Forest Park, Uji-cha Bus (Shojuin-guchi)
Uncovered green fields under blue sky. On the 24th, Jizo-bon at the Koyasu Jizo in Erihara; from about the 20th, the heart-shaped shadow at Shojuin.
Tea
With the second flush nearly over, the fields turn almost entirely green. For blue sky over tea fields, the Revitalisation Centre recommends this time of year, when the strong sun gives the rows sharp shadows. Kyoto Wazuka-so likewise calls the quieter, uncovered summer ‘actually a good time to come’.
The Revitalisation Centre's Chagenkyo private short tours take a break in July and August, partly to avoid heatstroke.
Photo: Blue sky over the Shirasu tea fields
Sources: Revitalisation Centre, “Four Seasons of Wazuka” (6), Wazuka Town walking map (33), Kyoto Wazuka-so (24), Revitalisation Centre (47)
Flowers & nature
Sunlight through the heart-shaped inome window casts a heart-shaped shadow on the floor. It appears only in this short season, and Shojuin says it is called shiawase no okage (‘thanks to happiness’).
It depends on the sunlight, so the weather and the year make a difference. About 21 minutes by car from Wazuka no Sato.
Sources: Shojuin Temple (70), Ujitawara Town tourism site (45)
Flowers & nature
The Kizugawa City Tourism Association says buckwheat flowers, red spider lilies and cosmos are at their best around the palace site from late summer into autumn; its flower calendar puts the spider lilies in September.
About 11 minutes by car from Wazuka no Sato.
Festivals & events
Every year on 24 August, for Jizo-bon, a memorial service is held in front of the Koyasu Jizo. It is described as a day local children look forward to, as they are given sweets.
A small local event with no car park. The Wazuka Town History Compilation Office gives ‘late August’.
Sources: Japan Tourism Agency (72), Iitoko Wazuka (73), Wazuka Town History Compilation Office (4)
Festivals & events
A great goma fire rite for Fudo Myoo is held at the 13-metre Kogane Falls. It is said to have continued since 1975, and to have moved to the last Sunday of August in 2013.
From a record photographed in 2014. A district event; the sources do not say whether visitors may watch, or describe the way to the falls.
Sources: Wazuka Chagenkyo Guides (74)
Getting around & opening
From 13 to 15 August and 30 December to 3 January, the Nara Kotsu Wazuka–Kizu line runs to the weekend/holiday timetable even on weekdays. Check the weekend times if you travel then.
Related page: Access & info
Sources: Nara Kotsu timetable (75)
Also this month: Tea picking (Wazukaya), Stargazing, Shojuin wind-chime festival, Waterfall festivals, Yamashiro no Kuni Rally, Guchamo tour (weekends), Chagenkyou Wazuka Line, Yubune Forest Park, Shojuin closed, Uji-cha Bus (Shojuin-guchi)
From mid-month, golden rice against deep-green hillside tea. With autumn bancha due in October the rice comes in early, and the fields grow busy again.
Flowers & nature
Cosmos spread across the palace site. The prefecture's official site describes pale pink, white and deep pink flowers colouring the rise from late September into October.
About 11 minutes by car from Wazuka no Sato. Free to visit. Enquiries: Kuninomiya Learning Centre, +81 774-76-9202 (Kyoto Prefecture Tourism Federation).
Sources: Kyoto Prefecture Tourism Federation (76), Kuni-kyo Palace Site official site (77)
Flowers & nature
The booklet's flower calendar lists red spider lilies and cosmos as September's flowers.
It does not say where they bloom.
Photo: Cosmos in bloom at Bessho
Sources: Revitalisation Centre, “Four Seasons of Wazuka” (6)
Flowers & nature
From about mid-September the rice on the flat land turns golden, a striking contrast with the deep green of the hillside tea. Because autumn bancha begins in October, the “Four Seasons of Wazuka” booklet notes, the rice is harvested early.
It shifts with how the rice grows.
Photo: Tea fields and rice paddies from Nagai
Sources: Revitalisation Centre, “Four Seasons of Wazuka” (6)
Flowers & nature
Behind the park lies a forest for picnics and hikes, and Iitoko Wazuka says mushroom picking there in autumn is popular.
Whether and how it runs changes from year to year, so check with the park first. The park opens on weekends and holidays and closes from December to March (Wazuka Town). About 18 minutes by car from Wazuka no Sato.
Also this month: All-green fields, Tea picking (Wazukaya), Inome shadow, Shojuin, Spider lilies, Kuni-kyo, Stargazing, Shojuin wind-chime festival, Waterfall festivals, Guchamo tour (weekends), Chagenkyou Wazuka Line, Yubune Forest Park, Uji-cha Bus (Shojuin-guchi)
Autumn bancha and white tea flowers. The second Saturday and Sunday bring the autumn festival at Wazuka Tenmangu Shrine, and from mid-month the rows are trimmed.
Tea
October brings the autumn bancha harvest, and according to Wazuka Town, tea processing continues until about the end of November. In the prefecture's FY2025 figures, the town's autumn tencha and autumn bancha together came to 228,221kg — about a quarter of its crude tea.
Related page: About Wazuka tea
Sources: Revitalisation Centre, “Four Seasons of Wazuka” (6), Wazuka Town (79), Kyoto Prefecture (11)
Tea
From mid-October, once the bushes stop growing, the rows are trimmed into crisp, sculpted shapes. The look lasts until spring, and the low sun gives the rows deep shadows.
When trimming starts depends on the temperature — around the time the daily average falls below 20°C, the Revitalisation Centre explains.
Sources: Revitalisation Centre, “Four Seasons of Wazuka” (6), Yamashiro Regional Promotion Bureau (49)
Flowers & nature
In autumn small white flowers open on the tea bushes. The flower calendar in the “Four Seasons of Wazuka” booklet lists tea flowers for October and November.
Flowering varies from year to year.
Sources: Revitalisation Centre, “Four Seasons of Wazuka” (6), Kyoto Wazuka-so (24)
Flowers & nature
From late October to early November the colour spreads down the surrounding hills to their foot, and the persimmons on trees beside the tea fields make a lovely contrast (“Four Seasons of Wazuka”). Tea bushes don't change colour, so the fields go into winter green.
The colour depends a great deal on each year's weather.
Photo: Autumn tea fields at Shirasu and Mt. Jubu
Sources: Revitalisation Centre, “Four Seasons of Wazuka” (6), Kyoto Wazuka-so (24)
Flowers & nature
Known for its National Treasure five-storey pagoda, the temple is also known for autumn colour (KYOTO SIDE). The Kizugawa City Tourism Association's flower calendar lists it under autumn colours (late October–December).
The calendar's period covers autumn colour across the city, not Kaijusenji alone. About 13 minutes by car from Wazuka no Sato. Admission differs during the autumn special opening (Kaijusenji).
Sources: Kizugawa City Tourism Association (53), KYOTO SIDE (80), Kaijusenji Temple (81)
Flowers & nature
The “Four Seasons of Wazuka” booklet says a sea of mist is often seen on autumn and winter mornings. Wazuka Town explains that with the Wazuka River running through the town and its rich forests, mist forms easily, and that this mist gently wraps the tea leaves — nature helping to shade them — and brings out their flavour.
It depends on the weather; on many days there is none.
Photo: The village in morning mist
Sources: Revitalisation Centre, “Four Seasons of Wazuka” (6), Wazuka Town (82)
Festivals & events
Every year on the second Saturday and Sunday of October an autumn festival prays for a good harvest. The mikoshi procession ceremony begins at 14:00; a children's procession, two children's mikoshi and the main mikoshi make their way to the main hall, and the main mikoshi is spun round as an offering in front of it.
The order of events comes from a record photographed in 2014 and may change from year to year.
Related page: Wazuka Tenmangu Shrine
Sources: Japan Tourism Agency (83), Wazuka Chagenkyo Guides (84), Iitoko Wazuka (85)
Festivals & events
Kizugawa City notes that the National Treasure five-storey pagoda, built in 1214, is opened inside every year in late October. In 2026 the pagoda — with its painted, shrine-like interior and door paintings — is open until 8 November, and cultural properties including the Important Cultural Property Four Heavenly Kings are shown until 29 November.
Adults 900 yen until 8 November while the pagoda interior is open (including grounds admission), then 700 yen for the special exhibition (Kaijusenji). Enquiries: Kaijusenji, +81 774-76-2256.
Festivals & events
An annual contest for photos and sketches of Wazuka's tea landscapes, cultural sites, food made with Wazuka tea, local festivals and more. Entries are to be shown at Green Tea Wazuka in early November, with the awards during the exhibition (contest leaflet).
Up to two photos and two sketches per person, by post or delivered to the organisers. The leaflet asks entrants not to get in the way of farm work and not to enter farmland or facilities without permission. Organised by the Wazuka Community Development Council (+81 774-78-3002).
Related page: Gallery
Sources: Wazuka Town (89), Wazuka Community Development Council (90), Kyoto Prefecture Tourism Federation (91)
Festivals & events
A full-day event: try machine-harvesting tea with a farmer in the autumn fields, then taste and compare carefully made Wazuka teas and hear about tea.
4,000 yen; first 10 people; apply via the online form. Wear trainers (wellies recommended) and a hat. There is no event bus: take the Nara Kotsu bus from the west exit of JR Kamo Station to “Wazuka Yamano-ie”. In rain the programme may change or be cancelled.
Festivals & events
A digital stamp rally by the Ocha no Kyoto DMO: collect points by visiting 47 spots with your smartphone's GPS, then enter prize draws for local products according to your points.
Two draws: first half (1 Oct–15 Dec) and second half (16 Dec–23 Feb). The leaflet reminds visitors that the Ishitera tea fields are farmers' private land, not a tourist site, and that October is also harvest time, so please respect the community. Enquiries: Ocha no Kyoto DMO (+81 774-25-3239).
Festivals & events
A tour to experience life and culture in the Nara period at the Kuni-kyo Palace Site and nearby: casting Wado-kaichin coins, making roof tiles, tea, and trying on Tenpyo-era costume.
Advance booking required. 2,500 yen (lunch extra, order in advance). Enquiries: NPO Furusato Annai Kamo (+81 774-76-3989).
Sources: Ocha no Kyoto (96)
Festivals & events
Shirasu is the only district in Wazuka that still offers sumo to its shrine. A sand ring is made in the grounds of Hachioji Shrine, at the top of 118 stone steps, and local children wrestle bout after bout against different opponents.
From a record photographed in 2014; no public source confirms that the date and programme are unchanged. A district event; the sources do not say whether visitors may watch.
Related page: Shirasu & Erihara Tea Fields
Sources: Wazuka Chagenkyo Guides (97)
Festivals & events
A fair held every autumn at the Wazuka Tourist Information Office. In 2025 it offered all-you-can-fit bags of Wazuka hojicha and sweets from local confectioners.
The timing and length vary from year to year (the 2026 dates had not been announced as of 28 September).
Getting around & opening
In autumn the seasonal bus runs as the ‘Green Liner’, and only in this period one return trip a day on the Wazuka Express Line (route 178) takes you from Uji Station to Wazuka without changing: JR Uji Station 9:10 → Chagenkyou Wazuka 9:48, and back Chagenkyou Wazuka 17:03 → JR Uji Station 17:40. The bus also stops at Wazuka Undo Koen (Wazuka Sports Park), the stop before Chagenkyou Wazuka (9:47 on the way in, 17:04 on the way back).
Wazuka Express Line: Keihan/JR Uji Station to Chagenkyou Wazuka 690 yen. Ujitawara Bus Center to Chagenkyou Wazuka (route 78) 300 yen. The leaflet also mentions a 1,650-yen one-day pass for Kyoto Keihan Bus routes.
Related page: Access & info
Getting around & opening
On 4 October 2026 a garden-view yoga session is held, so the inside of the main hall cannot be visited from 10:50 to 12:30 (Shojuin).
Sources: Shojuin Temple (44)
Also this month: Tea picking (Wazukaya), Cosmos, Kuni-kyo, Spider lilies, Kuni-kyo, Mushrooms at Yubune, Stargazing, Chaso Myojin festivals, Guchamo tour (weekends), Chagenkyou Wazuka Line, Yubune Forest Park, Uji-cha Bus (Shojuin-guchi)
Sunday 8 November 2026 is the Chagenkyo Matsuri. Maples and ginkgo colour at Shohoji Temple, and persimmons ripen beside the tea fields.
Flowers & nature
A branch temple of the Eigenji school of Rinzai Zen, with yamamomiji maples brought from Eigenji in Shiga beside the stone-paved approach and around the grounds (Yamashiro Regional Promotion Bureau). The ginkgo and maples along the approach liven up this usually quiet old temple each autumn (Kyoto Prefecture Tourism Federation), and you can look out over tea fields through the leaves (Ocha no Kyoto).
About 11 minutes on foot from Wazuka no Sato. No admission fee (Wazuka Tourist Information Office). There are steps and unpaved paths in the grounds.
Related page: Shohoji Temple
Sources: Kyoto Prefecture Tourism Federation (102), Yamashiro Regional Promotion Bureau (103), Ocha no Kyoto (104), Wazuka Tourist Information Office (105)
Flowers & nature
The booklet's flower calendar lists the maples and plane trees of Wazuka Sports Park for November's autumn colour, and its text calls the colours at Shohoji Temple and Ikujigaoka Park ‘splendid’.
About 2 minutes on foot from Wazuka no Sato.
Related page: Ikujigaoka Park · Photo: Autumn colours at Wazuka Sports Park
Sources: Revitalisation Centre, “Four Seasons of Wazuka” (6)
Festivals & events
On this one day the temple's principal image, a seated wooden Eleven-faced Kannon (Important Cultural Property) kept in its storehouse, can be viewed. Kaijusenji's announcement says it is thought to be by a sculptor of the Kei school and is a rare seated form, with only a few such figures in all of Japan.
700 yen. Genkoji is a separate temple about 3 km south-east of Kaijusenji.
Festivals & events
Planned attractions include food stalls, local products, tea experiences, a welfare corner, sports and woodworking activities, an outdoor stage and special events (Wazuka Town), with fireworks planned for the finale (Kyoto Prefecture Tourism Federation). The town's sponsorship appeal puts attendance at 6,000–7,000.
Enquiries: Wazuka Town Hall, Town Development Support Section (+81 774-78-3002). The Tourism Federation's directions: Nara Kotsu bus from the west exit of JR Kamo Station to “Wazuka Yamano-ie”, then 5 minutes on foot. The date varies a lot from year to year (23 Nov in 2024, 2 Nov in 2025). Wazuka Sports Park (Ikujigaoka Park) is about 2 minutes' walk from Wazuka no Sato.
Related page: Ikujigaoka Park · Photo: Fireworks at the Chagenkyo festival
Sources: Wazuka Town (107 · 108), Kyoto Prefecture Tourism Federation (91)
Also this month: Autumn bancha, Trimmed rows, Tea flowers, Mushrooms at Yubune, Autumn hills, persimmons, Kaijusenji autumn colours, Sea of mist, Kaijusenji pagoda opening, Photo & sketch exhibition (early Nov, planned), Stargazing, Tea Point stamp rally, Autumn tea fair, Guchamo tour (weekends), Green Liner (direct from Uji), Yubune Forest Park, Uji-cha Bus (Shojuin-guchi)
The tea bushes go into winter still green. Low sun casts deep shadows across the trimmed rows, and on New Year's Eve local people ring the old bell at Tenmangu Shrine.
Tea
Matcha Zenzai made with plenty of Wazuka-grown matcha: slightly bitter matcha with sweet, gentle azuki beans, served with complimentary Wazuka-grown hojicha.
680 yen (tax incl.), limited quantity. It is a winter recommendation rather than a winter-only item.
Related page: Matcha Zenzai
Sources: Wazuka no Sato (109)
Flowers & nature
On winter mornings the frosted tea fields shine in the sun. Snow falls only two or three times a year, but the town's Ryokusen Course map calls the snow-covered fields ‘magical’. In the cold months the tea masters cover the rows to protect the bushes (Chagenkyo Wazuka Brand Council).
Snow doesn't come every year, and frost only on cold, clear mornings.
Photo: Frost on the hilltop tea fields
Sources: Revitalisation Centre, “Four Seasons of Wazuka” (6), Wazuka Town walking map (33), Chagenkyo Wazuka Brand Council (110)
Festivals & events
The belfry in the south of the grounds survives from Daiguji, the temple once attached to the shrine. A Kyoto Prefectural University building survey records that local people who visit the shrine on New Year's Eve still ring the bell.
A local custom; the source says nothing about whether visitors can take part, or the time.
Related page: Wazuka Tenmangu Shrine
Sources: Kyoto Prefectural University survey (111)
Festivals & events
At the end of the year the neighbourhood groups and the shrine replace the sacred rope on the great cedar to welcome the new year (Kyoto Prefecture, ‘200 natural sites of Kyoto’).
The sources give no date and do not say whether visitors may watch.
Sources: Kyoto Prefecture (61)
Getting around & opening
The seasonal bus also runs on Saturdays and holidays in winter and spring. There is no direct service to Wazuka; change at Ujitawara Bus Center (Ichu-mae).
Services from 29 March (including the April–May new-tea season) had not been announced as of 28 September 2026.
Related page: Access & info
Sources: Kyoto Keihan Bus (59)
Getting around & opening
According to the Kyoto Prefecture Tourism Federation, Shojuin is closed from 26 December to 4 January, on the third Sunday of April and on 17 August.
The third Sunday of April 2027 is 18 April.
Sources: Kyoto Prefecture Tourism Federation (58)
Getting around & opening
From 1 December to 31 March visiting hours are 10:00–16:00 (last entry 15:45). The rest of the year they are 9:00–16:30.
Sources: Shojuin Temple (44), Ujitawara Town tourism site (45)
Also this month: Trimmed rows, Autumn hills, persimmons, Kaijusenji autumn colours, Sea of mist, Tea Point stamp rally, Green Liner (direct from Uji), Buses on weekend timetable, Uji-cha Bus (Shojuin-guchi)
Requests, opening hours and transport that apply whatever the season.
Getting around & opening
Wazuka Town asks visitors not to enter the tea fields without permission, as they are private land; not to come up close to photograph people at work; not to touch the leaves or the tools used for tea; not to park on the road (it blocks farm vehicles); and to take their rubbish home.
For parking, the town directs visitors to the ‘Wazuka Cha Cafe car park’ (as written on the town's page).
Related page: About Wazuka tea
Sources: Wazuka Town (21)
Getting around & opening
Wazuka Town asks visitors to use public transport to see the tea fields in the busiest months, April–July and September–November, because many of the town's roads are narrow and hard for two cars to pass.
If you come by car, the town directs you to the Wazuka Cha Cafe car park (about 80 spaces) and suggests getting around by Nara Kotsu bus, WazCar or rental bicycle. Tour buses are asked not to drive straight to the fields but to plan the visit on foot.
Related page: About Wazuka tea
Getting around & opening
Open 10:00–15:00 on weekdays and 10:00–16:00 on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays. Closed on Mondays and Tuesdays (Tuesday and Wednesday when Monday is a public holiday; Monday and Wednesday when Tuesday is a public holiday).
Hours and closing days may change. Please call about the New Year period (+81 774-39-7790).
Related page: Access & info
Sources: Wazuka no Sato (112)
Tea
The tea plant belongs to the camellia family and is evergreen: its leaves neither turn red nor fall. The fields stay green all year, yet the work of tea-making — shading, trimming — changes their look from season to season.
Related page: About Wazuka tea
Sources: Revitalisation Centre, “Four Seasons of Wazuka” (6), Revitalisation Centre (47)
Tea
A guided walk of about an hour and a half through the tea landscape for two or more people, with a seasonal Wazuka tea and a sweet from a local confectioner.
From 5,500 yen per person; book at least two days ahead. In some seasons the walk can be swapped for tea picking, so ask first. There are no tours in July and August, partly to avoid heatstroke.
Related page: About Wazuka tea
Sources: Revitalisation Centre (47)
Flowers & nature
The Kizugawa Fishery Cooperative's seasons are 1 March–30 September for amago trout and 1 June–31 December for ayu (subject to change). On 21 May 2026 young ayu were also released into the Wazuka River.
Getting around & opening
The Nara Kotsu Wazuka–Kizu line runs from JR Kamo Station to Wazuka all year round, roughly once an hour. The nearest stop for Wazuka no Sato is “Wazuka Yamano-ie” (about 14 minutes from Kamo Station, then about 4 minutes on foot).
Some runs differ between weekdays and weekends/holidays. From 13 to 15 August and 30 December to 3 January the weekend/holiday timetable is used even on weekdays (note on the timetable revised 14 March 2026).
Related page: Access & info
Sources: Nara Kotsu timetable (75), Wazuka Tourist Information Office (115), Wazuka no Sato (112)
Getting around & opening
A booked shared-ride service for getting around town and connecting with buses. Scheduled runs are weekdays only; on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, on-demand runs operate from 9:00 to 17:00.
Register in advance (online or +81 774-78-2020). Online bookings from a week ahead until 17:00 the day before; phone bookings from a week ahead until an hour before; no same-day bookings at weekends or on holidays. Fares 200–900 yen depending on distance.
Related page: Access & info
Sources: Wazuka Town (116)
Getting around & opening
The Tourist Information Office is open 9:00–17:00 and closed over the New Year holidays. You can also hire bicycles here (9:00–16:30, 2,500 yen a day).
Tel. +81 774-78-0300. Guchamo tours are booked and start here.
Getting around & opening
Wazuka Cha Cafe, which handles Tenku Cafe bookings and electric-assist bicycle hire (2,500 yen a day), is open 10:00–17:00, closing at 16:30 on weekdays in winter only.
It does not say which months count as winter.
Sources: Wazuka Cha Cafe (118)
Getting around & opening
A small tea room on the hilltop overlooking the tea fields, reserved for one group for an hour. The price depends on the number of people aged 13 and over: 550 yen for one, 1,100 yen for two, 1,650 yen for three or more (tax incl.).
Book on the Wazuka Cha Cafe website and collect the key there 15 minutes before your slot. It is about a 10-minute walk from the cafe, with many steps.
Related page: Tenku Cafe · Photo: Sunset at Shirasu with Tenku Cafe
Sources: Wazuka Cha Cafe (119)
Getting around & opening
A permanent mountain-bike course usable all year, but open only on Sundays; it closes an hour earlier in winter.
Course fee 1,500 yen (junior high and over). Bike hire available. Rain or snow may change opening.
Getting around & opening
The learning centre at the Kuni-kyo Palace Site is open from 9:00 to 17:00, closed on Mondays (the following day when Monday is a holiday) and over New Year (28 December–4 January).
Tel. +81 774-76-9202.
Sources: Kizugawa City (122)
Getting around & opening
Soen Koyuan Yantan, the base for visiting the birthplace of Nagatani Soen, closes at 17:00 in summer (March–October) and at 16:00 in winter (November–February). It is closed on Wednesdays and Thursdays.
Sources: Soen Koyuan Yantan (123)
Getting around & opening
Open 10:00–15:00; the interior is shown only at weekends and on holidays. Upkeep contribution 200 yen (from 1 April 2025, Ocha no Kyoto).
Enquiries: Soen Koyuan Yantan (+81 774-46-8864). The Kyoto Prefecture Tourism Federation still lists the contribution as 100 yen.
Sources: Ocha no Kyoto (124), Kyoto Prefecture Tourism Federation (125)
Wazuka no Sato is about 4 minutes on foot from the “Wazuka Yamano-ie” stop on the Nara Kotsu bus. Wazuka Sports Park (Ikujigaoka Park) — weeping cherry in spring, autumn colour, and the venue of the Chagenkyo Matsuri (8 November in 2026) — is about 2 minutes' walk away. At wazukanoSATO Cafe you can try seasonal sweets, and at the farm shop next door you'll find Wazuka teas: sencha, matcha, hojicha and more.
This calendar was checked against its sources on 28 September 2026. Source links open the publishers' pages, mostly in Japanese.
